effictio
 ef-fik'-ti-o from L. effingere, "to fashion"
blazon, portrayal, word-portrait

A verbal depiction of someone's body, often from head to toe.
 
Note: This figure was used in forensic rhetoric for purposes of clearly identifying an alleged criminal. It has often been adapted to poetical uses.
Examples
  I mean that man, he with the white hair, the crazed look in his eye, the huge scar across his chin, the lame left leg, and feet too large for any shoes...
Related Figures
 

See Also
 

 
  Sources: Ad Herennium 4.49.63


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Gideon O. Burton, Brigham Young University
Please cite "Silva Rhetoricae" (rhetoric.byu.edu)


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